Dreige
Dreigi recall an age when they were true half-breeds, in their dreams. Once they were the favored children of a race they call the Star Giants. When they sleep, they can see it —the grand cities glittering with beauty and sorcery, inviting beings of all races and creeds to come seeking companionship, enlightenment, trade, and wonder. They smell the scents at night, hear the laughter in the marketplace, feel the thrill of sorcery in their veins, and know the contentment of an age without fear. Their dreams also remember the Reckoning. So much of that single night of fury has been lost, except to the fractured dreams of the dreigi —four terrible Horsemen appeared and decimated the Star Giant culture. The destruction was absolute —libraries burned, towers crumbled, and no stone was left standing atop another. And yet, those who were not Star Giants —including the dreigi, their half -breed children—were spared, left alive even if they were attempting to resist. As fast as they appeared, the Horsemen were gone, leaving behind only the sigil of the Unseelie Court, marking the dark fey as responsible for the devastation. The dreigi turn fitfully in their sleep, and dream of vengeance. Appearance Many dreigi resemble somewhat taller, broader humans on first glance, though they have a tendency to have somewhat oversized hands. Dreigi may have traits that throw back to other giant bloodlines that have mixed in down the line —faintly glowing eyes, red or pale skin, frosty breath, lambent hair, or thick body hair are all somewhat common, in various combinations. Dreigi breed true with each other and with other giants; the child of a dreige and another being with the giant subtype is, inevitably, a dreige, though such couplings are fairly rare. Only rarely is a dreige caught unprepared for war. In their own communities, dreigi often walk armed and armored, and they favor iron and steel armor and accessories. Iron rings, broken chains, manacles, and chokers are popular among dreigi, as are brand marks made with red -hot irons and tattoos that depict weapons, chains, shields, and anvils. It is extraordinarily rare to meet a dreige who does not own at least one weapon or accessory made from hand -forged iron, usually meteoric iron. Demeanor Outsiders witness an odd dichotomy between violence and understanding in dreigi. Each and every one of these part-giants dreams of the wonders their people once had and lost, and that grief shapes them to an extent; dreigi can be bitter, vengeful, and angry, especially towards those who express sympathy for fey creatures. At the same time, dreigi are perceptive and empathetic, and surprise others by reaching out a hand to help them when it’s needed most, or being a solid shoulder upon which to lean or cry. The lingering traces of sorrow and anger that follow dreigi through their life make them understanding of the circumstances and loss that drive others to evil, and dreigi often display a surprising belief in both redemption and atonement that is made all the more striking by their deep cultural love for vengeance upon those who have wronged them personally. Many dreigi are lawful, and even those who are not tend to be careful about their sworn word —if a dreige says, “I promise” or vows something in the name of their lord, their god, or their life, they mean it and will go to incredible lengths —even killing, in some cases—to keep their word. Those dreigi who cannot find goals other than revenge for their ancient loss often fall to evil; the others trend towards good alignments, marred only by their total lack of pity for fey or any being that dares to ally with them. Dreigi, even those that worship other beings, have a deep abiding respect with the Spirit of Iron, with whom their race struck a mighty deal to gain revenge against the Horsemen and the Unseelie, and they treat this blood oath with great gravity. Dreigi are likely to grow angry with those who mistreat iron or steel objects, and may take the object if the owner refuses to give it the respect it deserves. Backgrounds Dreigi typically grow up among their own kind, either in fortress-towns located near areas of fey activity (or suspected portals into the Fairest of Lands, the home of the Unseelie Court) or in neighborhoods in grand cities that have been populated by dreigi. Though some civilized races shy away from dreigi at first because of their giant heritage, dreigi swiftly prove themselves to be hardworking, dedicated citizens who honor their promises and enforce order within their territories. Dreigi who grow up in fortress -towns tend to be more militaristic in mindset and grow up with a hand on their weapon and a keen eye for logistics, small -unit tactics, and a respect for a soldier’s life. City-bred dreigi, on the other hand, often see their love of iron flower and commonly embrace magic as a way to feel even closer to the metal that took their race in when they were scared and alone. Either way, young dreigi usually leave the place of their birth, driven by their dreams to seek their revenge or at least to answer the burning question in the back of the race’s collective minds —why us? Adventures Dreigi adventure for many reasons—profit, power, duty, friendship, and vengeance chief among them. The wanderlust that infects many young dreigi sends them into dangerous locales, where they hone the arts they bring to battle. Others seek wealth for their communities, magic with which to destroy their enemies, or to defend those they are sworn to or with whom they have become friends. Dreigi tend to favor classes that emphasize their great strength or that blend martial might with magical prowess, and a surprising number of clerics are present in their society, to any number of gods —dreigi are not shocked by freedom of religion and are often confused when confronted with more exclusive forms of worship. Racial Traits * Ability Score Adjustments: +2 Strength, +2 Wisdom, -2 Dexterity: Dreigi are strong and wise, but their large size makes them clumsy * Size: Medium: Dreigi are medium creatures and thus have no bonuses or penalties for size. * Type: Humanoid (giant): Dreigi are humanoids with the giant subtype * Powerful Build (Ex): The physical stature of dreigi lets them function in many ways as if they were one size category larger. Whenever a dreige is subject to a size modifier or special size modifier for a Combat Maneuver Bonus or Combat Maneuver Defense (such as during grapple checks, bull rush attempts, and trip attempts), the dreige is treated as one size larger if doing so is advantageous to him. A dreige is also considered to be one size larger when determining whether a creature’s special attacks based on size (such as grab or swallow whole) can affect him. A dreige can use weapons designed for a creature one size larger without penalty. However, his space and reach remain those of a creature of his actual size. The benefits of this racial trait stack with the effects of powers, abilities, and spells that change the subject’s size category * Ancient Grudge (Su): Dreigi labor under a mighty oath of revenge against those who destroyed their culture and scattered them to the winds; they benefit from a +2 bonus on attack rolls, damage rolls, and saving throws made against fey and outsiders with the chaotic and/or evil subtypes. This bonus increases by +1 every 4 character levels * Reject Fey Guile (Ex): Dreigi gain a +2 racial bonus on saving throws vs. compulsion effects. * Sunder Magewalls (Ex): Dreigi ignore hardness when attacking magical barriers (such as that created by wall of force) and deal additional damage equal to their character level to such barriers * Child of Iron (Su): Dreigi swore a mighty oath with iron itself to gain their revenge; their attacks count as being made with cold iron weapons in addition to their other materials for the purposes of bypassing damage reduction. Once per day as a standard action, the dreige may call upon iron to aid them and slam their weapon in to the ground, producing a 10-ft. burst of iron shards (centered on the dreige) that settle into the ground. That area is treated as difficult terrain by all non-dreige creatures for a number of rounds equal to the dreige’s character level. Non-dreige creatures that move through that area during this time suffer 1d4 points of damage per 5-ft. moved. * Gianthide (Ex): A dreige’s thick skin increases its natural armor bonus by +1 * Languages: Dreigi begin play speaking Common and Giant. Dreigi with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Dwarven, Elven, Giant, Gnome, Halfling, or Sylvan. Alternate Racial Traits Spurn Enslavement (Su): Some dreigi have an innate ability to punish those who would try to enslave them with sorcery. Whenever a dreige succeeds a saving throw against a mind -affecting spell, spell -like ability, or supernatural ability, the source of that spell or ability must succeed at a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 the dreige’s character level + the dreige’s Wisdommodifier) or suffer damage equal to the dreige’s character level, as well as a –2 penalty to their caster level for a number of rounds equal to the dreige’s Wisdom modifier. This replaces the child of iron racial trait. Mark of the Horsemen (Su): Rare and unlucky dreigi are born with the brand of their ancient enemy, the Horsemen that shattered their culture. They gain a +2 bonus on saving throws against disease, poison, and death effects, as well as a +2 racial bonus on attack rolls made against giants and outsiders with the good and/or lawful subtypes. This bonus increases by +1 for every 4 character levels. This replaces the ancient grudge racial trait. Favored Class Options * Barbarian: Add +1 to the barbarian’s total rounds of rage per day. * Cleric: Add +1/2 to damage dealt to fey with spells. * Daevic: Increase your natural armor by +1/6. * Guru: Increase the bonus from your reject fey guile racial ability by +1/5. * Magus: Add +1/4 point to the magus’s arcane pool. * Medic: Whenever you use your triage ability, the targets gain +1/4 of a bonus on saving throws against Charm or Compulsion effects until the start of your next turn. * Stalker: Add 1/6 of a new stalker art. * Warlord: Add a +1/4 bonus to battle prowess Category:Source: Bloodforge